Xu Mochen had actually foreseen this scene. The reason he had brought it up was that he had no other choice. After all, becoming "one of the first to explore and discover Douluo Continent" was itself part of the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King's Second Trial.
Although the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King's Second Trial had made it clear that this was not a required task and that he only needed to "explore and discover Douluo Continent," he would receive an additional reward if he became one of the first explorers there. Xu Mochen was unwilling to miss out on that, no matter what.
Now, to get them to agree, Xu Mochen could only once again use the "ancestor's trial" as a shield when dealing with Kong Dehan and the others who knew the truth. It had to be said: the "ancestor's trial" was practically a universal excuse. Kong Dehan, Cang Ming, Xu Yuanding, and the others who had initially opposed Xu Mochen's decision immediately did an about-face and began supporting his departure.
After all, others might not know how important Xu Mochen's trial was, but they understood all too well. If this truly was the will of their ancestor, then they absolutely could not defy it.
In the end, after a heated war of words with the group of opponents, both sides made concessions. Xu Mochen could take part in this ocean expedition, but he had to make detailed arrangements for any Sun Moon Empire affairs he would be unable to handle after leaving. A powerful expert also had to accompany him and remain at his side to protect him. If the fleet encountered a potentially high-risk situation, it had to return immediately!
In addition, Xu Mochen had to send ships back and forth or use other means to report the current situation to the empire at all times, even while they were adrift at sea.
Furthermore, once Xu Mochen reached Douluo Continent, he had to make sure to establish diplomatic relations with its various nations, especially the two great empires and Spirit Hall he had mentioned. If the Sun Moon Empire could not establish stable, peaceful relations with those three, then no matter what, they would never agree to Xu Mochen staying on Douluo Continent. Of course, if possible, it would be even better for the Sun Moon Empire to establish its own foothold there.
Xu Mochen had no choice but to accept. The arrangements back home were not much of a problem. The Sun Moon Empire strictly practiced a constitutional monarchy, so the emperor's powers were already tightly restricted. The remaining government affairs could be handed to Ye Xingyun, while Xu Yuanding handled military affairs. Based on his observations over the years, Xu Mochen was certain that both men were entirely loyal.
As for academic research, Xu Mochen had already given Kong Dehan and Cang Ming nearly all the useful knowledge he had been able to gather. With their intelligence, he believed they could continue to drive the Sun Moon Empire's rapid technological development even in his absence.
So, over the following month, the entire Sun Moon Empire began making intensive preparations for the voyage. Sun Moon Port, the empire's largest harbor in Ming Capital, became unbelievably busy. Goods flowed in and out by the countless load every day, and the entire port had already gone to the highest state of alert. The Sun Moon Empire's naval forces had brought their fleet into Sun Moon Port ahead of time and taken full control of everything there.
Everyone understood that this ocean expedition might not only mark the first time the Sun Moon Continent had discovered a new land inhabited by another civilization, but also the first time a Sun Moon Empire heir to the throne had sailed overseas to seek out and visit another civilization. If successful, it would leave a bold, vivid stroke in the history of the Sun Moon Empire! No one dared be careless about it in the slightest.
At last, the appointed day of departure arrived. The morning dawned clear, with the blazing sun high overhead. Everyone in Ming Capital had long since received the news, and the crowds packed Sun Moon Port until it was impossible to squeeze through. They all wanted to witness for themselves the legendary Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, as well as the heroes setting out to explore a new continent and civilization.
Fifteen thousand-ton-class armored steam warships stood like slumbering behemoths. Their massive, pitch-black armored hulls gleamed beneath the sun with a chilling sheen. Neat rows of secondary guns and an array of enormous-caliber main guns lined the decks, radiating a terrifying, murderous aura. The towering steam funnels reaching skyward were like horns poised to sound the charge, ready at any moment to roar and drive these steel behemoths into battle, crushing every enemy that dared attack!
At that moment, they sat motionless around Sun Moon Port, exuding a fearsome presence as they awaited the signal to depart! At their head were three "behemoths" of over five thousand tons: one ironclad of eight thousand tons and two of six thousand tons. Without a doubt, these three giants were the leaders of the steel fleet!
Surrounding these behemoths were forty-three smaller steam-powered armored warships. Though most weighed only a few hundred tons and were nowhere near as imposing as the fifteen steel giants, their presence at the giants' sides, forming a single mass with the steel monsters, lent the terrifying fleet an even grander air.
There was no question that these terrifying steel behemoths were Xu Mochen's handiwork. The ships berthed here represented almost the entire sum of the Sun Moon Empire's naval construction over the past six years! They embodied the tireless work of countless researchers and master craftsmen, day after day and night after night. Commanding such a super-fleet through wind and waves and across the four seas was the dream of countless passionate men!
All around the docks, countless soldiers and police stood on careful watch, holding back the crowds trying to push past the security cordon. Aboard the warships, rows of naval officers and men in white uniforms stood neatly and solemnly along the edges of the decks, chins held high as they awaited the arrival of the Sun Moon Empire's Crown Prince and the other important members of his retinue.
At the sound of a whistle in the distance, a motorcade of steam cars soon came driving over. When the vehicles reached the port, their passengers hurriedly climbed out and made their way to the eight-thousand-ton flagship berthed alongside the pier. Yang Bingming, commander of the fleet, had already been waiting there for some time. With the Marines lined up on either side, he solemnly led them in giving the arriving party a crisp, standard military salute.
Then Yang Bingming spoke in a resounding voice: "Yang Bingming, commander of the Yan Yang Fleet, on behalf of all officers and men of the fleet, welcomes His Highness the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire and the honored officials aboard!"
"You've all worked hard. I have great confidence in your military capabilities, and I believe you won't let me down. Prepare to set out." Xu Mochen, at the head of the party and dressed in a red, blue, and white uniform, returned Yang Bingming's salute. The gesture stirred him deeply.
After all, he had heard plenty of stories about this Crown Prince. Xu Mochen's astonishing achievements in national policy, military reform, technological development, and countless other fields had earned the admiration of even the usually proud Yang Bingming. In his eyes, Xu Mochen was practically a gift from heaven to the Sun Moon Empire! And now, this illustrious Crown Prince had shown no trace of arrogance toward him. Yang Bingming couldn't help but feel even more warmly toward him, and he silently swore that on this voyage, even if he had to sacrifice his own life, he would not let the Crown Prince come to any harm.
Once everyone had boarded, a blast of the whistle rang through the heavens. The funnels of every large and small vessel in the Yan Yang Fleet began belching thick clouds of black smoke, and amid the crowd's fervent cheers, the ships gradually pulled away from the docks and headed out to sea in formation.
According to the hints Xu Mochen had received for his Second Trial, Douluo Continent lay roughly four thousand eight hundred nautical miles east of the Sun Moon Continent. Reaching it would require crossing the entire Solo Ocean to the east of the Sun Moon Empire.
At the Sun Moon Empire fleet's current speed, they would need about ten days to arrive, barring any unexpected circumstances. After all, the empire's armored steam warships were made from special metals found on Douluo Continent and infused with spiritual energy. The processed Soul Coal they used as fuel could also provide far more energy than ordinary coal on Blue Star. Naturally, the Sun Moon Empire's armored steam warships were much faster than comparable vessels on Blue Star.
In addition to more than ten thousand naval officers and men, those accompanying Xu Mochen included Mo Wuying, commander of the Shadow Guard, who had already reached rank 96, as well as three other rank-eight experts and eight rank-seven experts from the Shadow Guard.
The party also included a group of Sun Moon Empire diplomats led by Gu Yuntong, the newly appointed deputy foreign minister. (Well, the Sun Moon Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had actually been abolished long ago. If not for the existence of Douluo Continent, the entire ministry would probably have been forgotten entirely.) Along the way, Yang Bingming patiently briefed Xu Mochen on every detail concerning the fleet.
The fleet was called the Yan Yang Fleet, one of the Sun Moon Empire's three royal naval fleets. It had actually been established more than three thousand years ago, but with no enemies overseas, it had long been marginalized and its development had all but stagnated. Most of the naval officers and men who came to serve there simply coasted through their days.
But six years ago, Xu Mochen ordered the military to be reformed and the navy to undergo a sweeping equipment overhaul. He even informed the Sun Moon Empire's naval forces about Douluo Continent. Only then did the navy begin to stir back to life.
The Yan Yang Fleet was currently the only fleet in the Sun Moon Empire equipped with armored steam warships. It was also the only one that had completely replaced its outdated paddle-wheel sailing ships with steam vessels. Six years ago, the Sun Moon Empire had spared no expense to build this fleet specifically for its upcoming visit to Douluo Continent!
The flagship they were aboard, with a displacement of eight thousand tons, was called the "Tianyang." The other two six-thousand-ton ironclads were the "Mingyang" and the "Moyang." They were the fleet's three most powerful capital ships.
The Tianyang was equipped with a full six 355-millimeter naval guns and thirty-two secondary guns of various types. Each main gun had a range of more than thirty kilometers and could fire the Sun Moon Empire's most advanced rank-eight Spirit Guidance Shells!
At maximum power, its destructive force was equivalent to that produced when a rank-96 Soul Master frantically absorbed Soul Power from outside, compressed it to the limit within their body, then detonated it with all their might! It was absolutely far more powerful than the full-force strike of most rank-96 Soul Masters!
Its lethal radius was even more astonishing, extending beyond three hundred meters! If struck head-on, almost any Soul Master below the rank of a rank-99 peerless expert would be crippled even if they survived!
In addition, the Tianyang's hull was fitted with an array of advanced equipment specifically designed to withstand extreme weather such as storms and tsunamis: composite stabilizing fins, ballast tanks, gravity stabilizers, and more. It could effectively withstand storms and tsunamis up to level eight.
Not only that, the Tianyang was built with 450-millimeter-thick composite special steel, forged from top-grade materials such as Cold Star Meteorite Iron and Vast Sea Magic Aluminum! Its defenses were terrifyingly powerful. With the Spirit Guidance Shield that could be activated at any time also installed aboard, the warship could withstand even a fierce assault from a hundred-thousand-year Sea Soul Beast without suffering so much as a scratch.
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